1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the practical generation of electricity from solar energy, and particularly to a dual axis solar tracker apparatus and method that tracks the movement of the sun to optimize the positioning of solar panels for generating electricity.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a continuing and increasing interest in the utilization of sunlight for the clean production of electrical energy. Part of the motivation behind this interest is the realization that the sunlight falling on each square meter of Earth is roughly the energy equivalent to 1,000 watts of clean electrical power, depending on location and atmospheric conditions. Currently, the production of electrical energy from sunlight is often accomplished with photovoltaic devices. However, other approaches, such as solar thermal and thermocouple solutions, are being developed as well. At present, all solutions involve relatively expensive hardware so that, in order to compete financially with existing energy generation solutions, there is considerable economic pressure to maximize the efficiency of such solar energy solutions.
One aspect of this desire to maximize the solar energy production efficiency is to orient solar panel surfaces directly towards the sun so the greatest amount of sunlight is available for solar energy production. Various approaches exist for doing this, but they tend to fall into three basic categories. Passive or immobile solar tracking solutions do not move, and rely on other methods to increase sunlight received by a solar panel with lenses and reflectors. Single-axis tracking solutions move the solar panels to track the sun as it moves through the sky each day by adjusting the azimuth, or east-west orientation, of a solar energy solution, such as a photovoltaic solar panel. This results in a considerable improvement over passive solutions that do not track the sun or redirect or concentrate sunlight. However, single-axis tracking solutions ignore the more complex true motion of the sun through the sky that also varies seasonally in accordance with the tilt of the Earth. Because the tilt of the Earth with respect to the plane in which it orbits is approximately 23.44 degrees, the difference between the highest position the sun reaches on the summer solstice and on the winter solstice north or south of the tropics is double the tilt, or 46.88 degrees. Dual-axis solar tracking systems exist to address those issues. However, many dual-axis solar tracking systems rely on sensors to position their solar panels. Other dual-axis solar tracking systems have not been optimized for the forces likely to be encountered in an outside environment to both withstand environmental conditions and to minimize cost.
Thus, a dual axis solar tracker apparatus and method solving the aforementioned problems is desired.